Fractured

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"You... didn't speak a word to her," I said, replying that through my mind, more as a statement than a question. Because I didn't need to try to accept it - I did.  I just didn't know how to process it. 

"Yes," he spoke, in a darker voice, and when I lifted my dead and wide eyes from the ground and met his, I knew he already knew just how badly he screwed up.  The emeralds sparkled in his eyes showed that he didn't regret it though.  Lips set in a disgusted scowl, the fire in his eyes gave off the illusion that he didn't care what the hell she thought.  "There is a good chance she... might be catching on," he said, echoing my terrified thoughts. I seemed to be freaking out more than him over this; he just still looked pissed off, not worried like me over what this could have done.  I felt myself nearly go into panic mode. 

"W-What are we suppose to do now?!"  I said, my shoulders tensing as I could feel the rest of my body respond equally too.  I took a hard breath before managing to swallow, searching his eyes in desperation for an answer.  Because an answer was something I was just barely hanging onto.  "I mean, how the hell are we going to go on, with you pretending like you don't know shit?!" I nearly screamed again, completely forgetting about his sister trying to sleep down the hall.  More things in my head were scrambling at the moment though.  Like where the hell we would be tomorrow?!  Out of town in hiding?  Back in the house?  On the fucking moon?  This determined everything!

"Hey," he said, turning more towards me from where he was sitting next to me.  Resting a hand on my leg, almost unconsciously in comfort, I could feel the heat in his hand.  The warmth, his strange calmness... but I shouldn't be calm at a time like this like he strangely was. "Calm down, it's alright," he reassured me, his face closer and eyes appealing to mine in a convincing light.  The spark in his eye transformed from anger over what happened to me to a comforting nature that I loved, that I could feel act as my release of everything pent up in me.  Just seeing him now helped and his soft words brought about an air around me of safety, of a soothing presence that everything would be okay as long as he is here.

"Why are you so calm?" I asked, taking an observing note he was not only calm, he was under control and I had a feeling he had some plan.  It was hard for me to try to figure out what he possibly could do to repair what he unleashed to Clare - the clear sight of his hate towards her.  How would one just be able to undo that? His plan though was something that went in the opposite direction I would have liked. 

"Because I've been trying to come to terms of what she did to you," he remarked in a deeper voice that I could feel send chills up me.  It only got darker and full of hate after that.  "And at this point Albany, I couldn't give a shit what she thinks.  Fuck her.  Because I refuse to go back to where we were before, not after she did that.  I'm done screwing around and you better god damn believe I'm not going to tolerate anymore of this bullshit!" Lips set straight and firm after that outburst, I could feel my eyes widen at the amount of clear determination in his voice.  It was his words though that scared me.

I tried to find a way to be on his side with what he said.  Hell, it was hard enough excepting that he was taking this as a turning point.  Clearly, Luke was done.  This was the last straw for him as he said and from his words, I could tell he was done acting as if he was a loyal husband.  With that cruel and dead look in his eyes, I knew he would happily face her without anymore evidence, without a care what she believed.  He would rather do that than go on pretending as if he loved her and being a slave in his own body.  I admired that he was fed-up, that he had enough of this shit.  But at the same time, I didn't like it.  Because if he planned on quitting this little game right now, that could cost us a lot.

Taking in his nearly shaking form, his bright eyes illuminating the dim light from the kitchen, I could see it as the little hope he had left by continuing as if nothing happened.  He didn't want to.  But in my eyes, that was our best option.